


Out of a Nightmare

by sugarblossom



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Author is too lazy to write new fics so they put in old ones instead, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Papa Kukui
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:55:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22508905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarblossom/pseuds/sugarblossom
Summary: Average school day, right? Wrong. At least Ash got to meet up with an old friend or two!
Relationships: Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum & Satoshi's Pikachu | Ash Ketchum's Pikachu
Comments: 11
Kudos: 186





	Out of a Nightmare

“I thought the best way to get you all fired up before the league, is to have a special guest come over!” Professor Kukui exclaimed to his class. His students all perked up, eyes lighting up as if he told them there was no homework. Like summoning a storm, murmurs and whispers started about who it could be. 

Ash almost stood up as he asked, “Who is it?” Pikachu’s ears twitched as he sniffed the humid air, before breaking out into a grin and jumping from Ash’s shoulder down to the ground. 

“Oh, you’ll see.” Kukui turned sideways, calling out, “You can come in!” Before anyone could react, a mess of brown hair filled the open door. Ash’s grin matched Pikachu’s as he pushed his chair back.

“Alola!” Gary said, barely stepping into the classroom before stopping short, staring at Ash as he stumbled across the room, hand unconsciously drifting towards his hip bag. He then sweatdropped, watching Ash trip over Pikachu as the mouse pokemon leaped at him, chirping happily. “Somehow, you’ve gotten worse, Ashy-boy. Then again, I didn’t expect you to be here either.”

Ash froze for a second, before chuckling and scratching his cheek. “I’m just happy to see you again! It’s been a while!” Ash’s classmates all glanced at each other, shrugging. Gary hoisted Pikachu up in his arms and tickled his back, raising an eyebrow at Ash. “Yeah, um...” Ash trailed off, sliding back into his seat with a grin that outcompeted the slight sunshine outside and picking up a pencil.

Gary ambled to the front of the class next to the professor, facing the students. “My name is Gary Oak, a fossil and legendary pokemon researcher.” Pikachu stopped purring against Gary, tilting his head. “More specifically, I’m going to be teaching all of you about Sinnoh legendary pokemon.” Pikachu gave a soft coo, slipping out of Gary’s hold and hopping onto his trainer’s desk.

Tapping the eraser of his pencil against the wooden desk, Ash tittered, “Yeah, all of us.” While his classmates cheered, Ash had a staring contest with Pikachu, the latter snuggling closer to him as they all opened up their textbooks. 

“I’ll start with the general names. It all started with Arceus, who was believed to have created the Sinnoh region, maybe even the whole universe itself,” Gary explained. Ash glanced around, quickly ducking his head when meeting Kukui’s eyes and clutching Pikachu closer, running a hand over his fluffy fur to reassure himself. 

Lillie raised her hand, asking, “I read that Mew was the goddess of all pokemon.”

“It’s speculated that Mew created all pokemon, but we have no current source explaining which one came first,” Gary explained. Lillie nodded, furrowing her eyebrows as Ash took a sharp breath. “Any more questions?”

Ash hung his head, raising his hand. “What about Mewtwo?” Pikachu’s ears straightened as Gary’s face switched between confusion and anger.

“What is this ‘Mewtwo’? Ash, you must be joking!” Gary laughed, “Stop being so foolish, there’s no such thing as a Mewtwo.”

“But-” Ash cut himself off, biting his lip as Pikachu chirped at him, shaking his head. “Never mind.” Gary clenched his fist, noticeably breathing deeply. The tension between them crackled like lightning.

“...Next is the Creation Trio. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. They rule over time, space, and antimatter respectively.” Trembling, Ash gripped his pencil, Pikachu burrowing under Ash’s tense arms. “The Lake Trio-” The pencil in Ash’s hand snapped in half, startling the class.

Standing up, Ash took a deep breath. “May I leave?”

Gary stared at Ash, unimpressed. “Why did you enroll here if this happens? Sit down, Ashy-boy.” There was a slight rumble of thunder in the distance.

Ash brought his hat over his eyes before grinning. “Can I please go for a walk?” Pikachu hopped down next to Ash, curling around his feet as everyone else stared at them.

“Ash-”

“Come on.” Ash and Gary both glanced at Professor Kukui, who nodded at Ash. Ash ignored Gary’s scowl, slinging his bag over his shoulders and walking straight out of class, only stopping for a second to throw away his pencil. Pikachu’s ears sagged as silence filled the room. “Yeah, ok, I assume you have everything under control?”

“Of course,” Gary flatly answered, tearing his gaze away from the open door and focusing back on his prepared lesson, a hand on his hip bag. Pikachu cooed with sorrow, before darting out the door. Kukui ran after Pikachu, catching up to Ash a few moments later.

Pikachu climbed up Ash’s shoulder as Kukui asked, “Ash, what’s going on? I know you struggle with some technical subjects, but you never explicitly asked to leave before!”

“Oh, you know.” Ash rolled his wrist, shrugging. “I just needed some time alone with Pikachu.”

“...May I ask why? Do you somehow struggle with learning about legendary pokemon?”

Pikachu narrowed his eyes, hissing at Kukui while Ash only gave him a grin. “I guess you could say that.” Professor Kukui furrowed his eyebrows.

“...Ok. I’m letting you off this time, but you still have to check in with me afterward. Three o’clock, ok? You have to be back in class. Promise?” Kukui stopped walking, and Ash dipped his head at him in thanks as he ran out of the school with Pikachu.

After Gary finished his presentation, Ash’s classmates, as well as Professor Kukui, clapped for him. Gary stared at the empty desk in front of him, sighing. “Do you guys have general questions for me?” There was silence as everyone shook their heads. “Ok, I’ll leave-”

“Hold on, I have a question, if you don’t mind,” Mallow said. Gary nodded for her to go on. “How do you know Ash?”

Gary stiffened, eyes glancing towards the open door. “We were childhood friends.”

“Interesting...” Lana narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t think he told us?” Sophocles mused, blinking when Gary’s stoic face flashed disappointment and guilt.

“Tch, we’re not that close anyway. Then again, he doesn’t tell anyone anything. Where is he? Did he hate my lesson so much that he left?”

Kukui glanced up at the clock, which displayed the time as 3:30 PM. “He should have been back already...”

Gary glowered at the ground. “You expect Ash of all people to keep the time?” Ash’s classmates glanced at each other in worry as Kukui sighed, clenching his fists.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but he has never been this late before.” Kukui glanced back at the open door, shoulders tense. “He could be in trouble!”

Gary shook his head. “Just give him another hour. He’ll be back.”

Kukui took a deep breath, before saying, “Class, you’re dismissed.” His lab coat flapped as he ran out of the classroom, eyebrows furrowed. There was silence. Gary fidgeted with the edges of his Hawaiian shirt as Ash’s classmates shrugged, leaving him behind in an empty classroom. He sighed, placing a hand over his bag as it vibrated. Umbreon popped out of his pokeball, tilting his head at Gary.

“... Why does he hate me so much?” he whispered. Umbreon pawed at Gary’s leg, mewling and pointing out the door. Gary gulped, running out after the rest.

Meanwhile, Kukui opened the door to his house, yelling, “ASH? Where are you?” He chuckled a little helplessly as he searched every room. “This isn’t funny, Ash!” He ran down to the beach, calling Ash’s name, before running into Gary.

“He’s still missing? Both of them?” Gary asked, Umbreon by his side.

Kukui licked his lips, clenching his fists on his lab coat. “Yeah… I’m worried he’ll be caught in the rain.”

“He’s been traveling for years now. He can handle a little rain-”

“Please.”

Gary met Kukui’s darting eyes and bit his lip. “Fine. Umbreon, let’s go find him.” As the clouds darkened overhead, Gary followed Umbreon into the forest, the latter glowing his yellow rings to light up the dark.

“...And it’s just so stupid, Mewtwo!” Ash’s voice hiccuped, causing Gary to stumble. Umbreon shook his head, tugging at Gary’s shoes. They peeked from behind the trees. Ash’s bag was lying on the forest floor. Pikachu resided on Ash’s lap while Ash sat on a log next to a cat-like pokemon, rocking himself back and forth in a hunched posture. “How long has it been? FOREVER! And yet-”

Ash’s red eyes snapped onto Gary’s wide ones as Gary stared directly at Mewtwo, growling, “Get away from him, you monster!” Pikachu shot Gary a worried look. Mewtwo placed a hand in front of Ash as he stood up, before shaking his head. Ash gulped, nodding as if they had a conversation. Both him and Gary watched Mewtwo flying away into the night. The trees were a cage, closing in and suffocating Gary.

There was silence.

Pikachu hopped out of Ash’s arms as he said, “Gary, that wasn’t nice.” Ash froze as he saw Gary wrapping his arms around himself, looking away and breathing rapidly. “Gary, are you alright?” Gary only stayed anchored to the ground like he was attacked with psychic. Umbreon tapped Gary’s leg, cooing sadly.

“Did it hurt you too?”

Ash ran a hand through his hair, before gasping. “Oh. Viridian... Did Professor Kukui make you come searching for me? I am so sorry. Arceus, this is all my fault, isn’t it?” Ash stepped closer to Gary, who subconsciously took a step back. “I… You’re safe, alright?”

Gary gave a high pitched laugh, sinking to his knees. Umbreon licked Gary’s face, and Pikachu cautiously walked up next to them, tilting his head. “Really?” Gary flatly said.

“Yes, really.”

“Really?!” Gary’s lip quivered as he yelled, “You don’t know how many times I’ve woken up to...” Gary dipped his head, missing Ash’s eyes tearing up with empathy as he knelt next to him. Umbreon shoved at Ash’s leg before pointing to his trainer with a worried mewl, causing Pikachu to glance at Ash pleadingly.

“I understand, Gary. I really do. But you can’t just insult him like that without-”

“It attacked me! It could have killed me, Ash!” Ash’s eyes flashed panic for a moment, and Pikachu winced. “...Did it- it also attacked you, didn’t it. Why do you support it?!”

Ash held out a hand in front of Gary, swallowing the copper taste in his mouth. “That’s what friends do.”

Gary glanced at Ash, scowling. “So you weren’t just unhappy with my presentation-”

“What, no!”

Gary continues like he didn’t hear Ash, “You also made friends with my worst nightmare. Nice going, Ashy-boy.” Ash flinched as the thunder rumbled overhead, Pikachu and Umbreon cooing at the two of them.

“Alright, fine. That’s valid.” Gary’s gaze snapped onto Ash, eyes wide. “I understand, I do. It’s why I left in the first place, but this isn’t about me.” Ash shoved himself off the ground, brushing off the dirt from his pants. “Your ‘worst nightmare’ is called Mewtwo.” Umbreon and Gary both blinked in confusion.

“...You weren’t lying about it?”

“No, I was not.” Ash stroked the nape of his neck as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder. “You probably worked really hard on that presentation. I’m so sorry.”

Gary clasped his hands over his head, Umbreon nudging at his legs. “I don’t get you anymore, Ash. What happened? Why are you even in school?”

“...Just needed a change.”

Gary got off the ground and glared down at Ash. “I don’t buy it.”

Ash stepped back and grabbed his bag, unzipping it and rustling through it. “It’s not a lie.” Sighing, Gary glanced up at the inky sky and ran a hand over Umbreon’s silky fur. “You’re not alone, alright?” Pikachu hopped across Ash’s arm and climbed onto Gary’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with a chirp while Umbreon pouted. “Come on, it’s gonna rain soon.” Gary caught the umbrella Ash tossed him, startling as Ash ran off into the darkness.

“Whoa, hey, Ash!” As Gary raced after Ash, a drizzle of rain started, causing Gary to open up the umbrella Ash gave him. Umbreon simply huddled closer to Gary, but Pikachu raced ahead, not caring about getting his fur wet.

They kept running until Kukui’s house appeared, a light within the increasing rain. Gary let out a sigh of relief as Ash and Pikachu both raced into the house in the distance. By the time Gary and Umbreon also stepped in, Kukui was hugging Ash tightly, using his lab coat as a towel to dry off Ash’s hair.

“This isn’t about the Kalos crisis, is it? I knew there had to be more for you to react this way,” Kukui mumbled, giving a weak smile as Pikachu shook his wet fur, giving a large yawn that Ash copied. 

“Yeah, I just really needed a break. I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” Ash explained, freezing as Pikachu’s ears perked up. The floorboards creaked as Gary awkwardly closed the door behind him, nudging Ash’s wet cap and bag off to the side with his foot.

“Hey.”

Ash faced Gary and glanced between him and Kukui. Kukui mouthed to Gary, “Thank you.” Umbreon and Pikachu greeted each other again, both of them nodding at Gary as Ash took a deep breath.

“...May I stay for the night? I lost track of time.”

Kukui raised an eyebrow, causing Gary to flush, before nodding. He already started walking off to get pokemon food for Umbreon and Pikachu. Ash wringed his soaked t-shirt with a small grin. “That was quite a downpour, huh?”

“What were you thinking? You’re going to get sick!” Gary fretted, before shaking his head. “No, never mind.” A raindrop glided down from Ash’s hair onto the floor.

Kukui smirked from the kitchen as Ash blinked. Pikachu and Umbreon sweatdropped, running off towards Kukui.

“Oh, ok… Are you alright?”

“Why do you do this? Why have you always been so kind to me when I clearly don’t deserve it?”

Ash grabbed the dripping umbrella from Gary’s hand and leaned it against the wall. “What makes you think you don’t deserve it?” Kukui set down a bowl of pokemon food for Umbreon and Pikachu to share, glancing towards the two boys.

“Stop making this about me!” Ash gulped, squeezing his arm while Gary rubbed at his nose. “I… I’m sorry too.” Gary pursed his lips as Ash simply stared at him. Kukui leaned over the counter, setting down two glasses of milk on the table with a clinking sound.

“Are you two good?” For a moment, only the sound of the pouring rain outside was heard.

Ash put a grin on his face. “Of course! I promise to check in with you tomorrow, for real.”

“That’s good… I’ll leave you two to it. And try not to get sick, Ash.” Kukui grabbed two towels, giving one to Ash. As Kukui parted Ash’s wet hair away from his eyes, he shot Gary a worried glance, before leaving the room. Umbreon and Pikachu both finished their food in record time, padding over to their respective trainers with a chirp.

Ash let out a soft sigh, kneeling down and rubbing Pikachu’s relatively dry fur with the towel. “Why am I always so kind, huh? I’ve never thought about it. It’s just the right thing to do.” Before Gary could respond, Ash continued with a side-eye, “Sure, I get attached to people and pokemon really easily, but I feel like that’s better than hating on them.”

“But it… Mewtwo attacked you as well.” Umbreon pressed himself against Gary’s leg, reminding him of his presence.

Pikachu gave a small squeak as Ash nodded. “Mewtwo gave me permission to tell you before he left. He didn’t mean to attack me, but he did.” Ash picked Pikachu up and slung the towel over his shoulders. “He didn’t mean to cause you this trauma either.”

“You just… forgave it-him?”

Ash grinned, meeting Gary’s eyes. “Yep! He may seem distant, but he really enjoys my hugs!” Pikachu nodded, nuzzling at Ash’s cheek.

“Ah… But to forgive everyone seems...”

“Naive?” Ash shrugged, tugging at the wet towel. “I know there are horrible people out there, but there’s no point in adding to that hate.”

A chill went down Gary’s spine. “Oh.” He crossed his arms, mumbling, “Why did I ever… Why did I assume you...” He took a deep breath, watching Ash softly cooing at Pikachu with pursed lips.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Ash asked, tilting his head as Umbreon mewled louder and louder at Gary.

Gary opened his arms, holding out a hand. “You don’t hate me.”

“Of course I don’t! Why would you think that?”

“I insulted you? I left you behind? I literally did everything I can to defeat and belittle you-”

Pikachu hopped down next to Umbreon as Ash took hold of Gary’s hand and pulled him towards himself with an overly sweet smile. “And why are you still guilty over it?”

Gary sweatdropped, a unique combination of warmth and the smell of petrichor tickling at his nose. “Why are your hands so cold- Ah, I mean, I never made it up to you.”

“You have. Through every call, every inspiration, every battle.” Ash’s smile wavered for a moment, and Umbreon glanced at Pikachu with a tilted head.

“But I don’t deserve-”

“You might not get it through your head now, but you do. You deserve everything! You’re honest, you’re smart, you’re resilient, of course you-” Pikachu glanced up at Ash, tapping his leg.

Gary wrestled out of Ash’s grip. “I’m not accepting your compliments until I’m sure I’m perfect enough to deserve them. Maybe if we never had that fight-” Umbreon bared his teeth, yowling at Gary and swatting at his shoes.

“Only if you think you deserve my compliments,” Ash clarified. “Look, me and Misty fight all the time! Are we still friends? Yes! And I’m not perfect either! No one’s perfect! We were both arrogant kids back then. You saw that you were being a major jerk and stopped!”

“No I… My mistakes-” Gary started, hands trembling.

“Shows that you’ve grown! You’re human, you’re gonna make mistakes. You don’t have to be perfect! Arceus, Gary, I’m gonna bombard you with positivity,” Ash said, wringing at his towel as Umbreon barked up at Gary, paws scrambling. Pikachu exchanged an exasperated look with Ash.

Gary’s eyes were outlined with tears as he shook his head. “No, I really shouldn’t be so emotional-”

“And yet I’m the one yelling! What’s so bad about expressing emotions and pains?”

“Look who’s talking!” Ash froze, and Gary’s eyes filled with panic. “I mean, look, I just… uh… I mean, you left...” Pikachu climbed onto Gary’s shoulder, squeaking at Ash.

“No, you’re right. I already hurt you because my own stupid pride wouldn’t let anyone know what I went through,” Ash sighed with a small smile, squatting to give Umbreon a stroke. “I’m sorry. I’m sure your presentation was great. The problem was with me.”

Gary furrowed his eyebrows, unconsciously petting Pikachu behind the ears and eliciting Pikachu’s content squeaks. “No, I was the one who insulted your friend.”

“And I don’t blame you for it. I truly understand, Gary.” Ash scooped Umbreon up into his arms, standing up but not meeting Gary’s eyes. “Kalos isn’t the only time I’ve encountered… you know, legendaries, that weren’t exactly happy being captured or controlled.”

Gary paused, before jaw dropping. “Oh. Oh, Arceus-”

“Him too.”

“Oh, uh… ” There was a moment of silence, backdropped with the pitter-patter of rain.

Ash shrugged, eyes watching Umbreon as he hopped down and curled on the couch. Pikachu chirped as Gary stared at Ash, leaning forward and tapping Ash’s cheek before hopping down to the floor next to him.

Grabbing the towel around Ash’s shoulder, Gary met Ash’s gaze. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry for pushing you away. I wish I was with you during all this.”

“Don’t worry, you deserve to know,” Ash said, holding up his hands and glancing away. Gary watched Ash tremble before him, before dipping his head and staring at Pikachu with a grimace.

“It’s not the same.”

Pikachu’s tail twitched. Ash arched over, silent tears slipping out of his eyes like they don’t want to be seen. “...I know.”

Gary dropped the towel over Ash’s wet hair with a gentle sigh. “I’m sorry. From now forward, alright? I promise I’m staying right by your side.”

Ash gave a small sniffle, shaking his head. “Don’t. You’re gonna leave.” Pikachu gave a loud squeak, climbing up onto Gary’s head and yelling at Ash. 

“I don’t think I need you to tell me whether I feel like leaving or not. And frankly, I think I’d find more research topics with you than alone in my lab, Ashy-boy,” Gary chuckled, stepping forward and tucking Ash’s head under his chin, not caring about getting rainwater on himself. Taking a deep breath, Ash only felt more agitated by the smell of minty tea and fresh papers out of the copier machine.

“Gary, it’s dangerous to travel with me! Mewtwo was nothing compared to Shamouti, or Michina, definitely not Alamos-” Ash cut himself off, and shuddered.

“...How long have you been keeping this bottled up?” Ash stayed silent, a cup just on the verge of overflowing. “Ash?” Pikachu shifted to Gary’s shoulder, patting Ash’s cheek.

“You’re going to deal with more than just Mewtwo, Gary.”

Gary murmured, “You’ve dealt with more than just Mewtwo.”

“This wasn’t supposed to be a competition!” Ash yelled, straightening out and glancing between his childhood friend and starter.

Gary reached forward and wiped Ash’s tears, before ruffling Ash’s hair using the towel. “It’s not. But you’ve got to admit you have it worse.”

“How do you know?” Ash’s tone was flat as he dried his eyes, stepping back and leaving the towel in Gary’s hands.

“Does it matter?”

Ash deflates. “I just want you to take care of yourself first.” Pikachu gave a sad chirp, eyes glistening as Ash rubbed his arm.

“Well ditto! You’re out there caring for people your entire life! Don’t you think you should save a little self-care for yourself?” Gary’s eyes teared up as well. “Arceus, the first thing you did after Viridian was to make sure I was alright!”

Ash gave a chuckle without any humor in it. “I don’t know how to take care of myself. That’s why I help others in the first place! Why, it’s like I was born to save the world from whatever comes my way! After all, what am I other than… compassionate?” Pikachu chirped quietly to Ash, who crossed his arms. “Sorry, didn’t mean to rant.”

“What- Ash! Talk to me! If you think I deserve love and attention, you definitely do as well.” Gary grabbed Ash’s hand and pulled him towards the couch, plopping the towel on the table. Ash casually took a sip of the milk Kukui had set out for him like nothing’s wrong, but Pikachu huddled closer to Ash. “What are you? You’re creative, passionate, optimistic. You’re great with pokemon, and you’re a great pokemon trainer! You don’t need to do anything to prove your worth! You make the world a better place just by existing!” Umbreon peeked an eye open at the two of them, a content smile on his face.

“...Who are you and what have you done to Gary?”

Gary only gave Ash a weak smile as he giggled, trying not to spill his glass of milk, before reaching forward and tapping Ash’s Z-ring. “We have a lot to catch up on. I know I haven’t been very nice, but that’s on me. Especially with me not seeing the struggles you’re still going through.”

“Considering I was the one who brought Mewtwo up in the first place…”

“Well considering I was the insensitive one who wrote his whole-”

“That’s not your fault!”

“Well then we’re even. We’re not supposedly ‘cured’ anytime soon, but hey, you’re stuck with me!” Gary glanced towards their pokemon with a smile, grabbing the other glass of milk and tapping it against Ash’s. “Look, I’ve got a good feeling about the league tomorrow. You better win this time, Ashy-boy!” Ash gave Gary a small grin at his teasing, scooching over to tickle Umbreon’s head, Pikachu squeaking in complaint. Gary took a sip and chuckled as Ash wiped off the milk on his lips, proudly watching Umbreon climb onto Ash’s lap and purring.

They sat there in silence for a while, listening to the rain and thunder. Pikachu curled next to Umbreon on Ash’s lap after making sure Ash was alright, shutting his eyes. Ash gingerly leaned over the couch and grabbed his bag, taking out the white half of an old pokeball, saying, “Forever?”

Gary had the same idea, his red half of the pokeball already out from his unzipped bag. “Forever.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ash: *sneezes*  
> Gary: You’re such a stupid idiot, go dry yourself off already


End file.
